


second chance

by MaddieandChimney



Series: Meet Cutes [1]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: AU in which I have given Chimney another child, F/M, Mentions of original character death, Send me help, because i obviously need it, implied past domestic violence but not a big influence within the story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:20:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26510542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaddieandChimney/pseuds/MaddieandChimney
Summary: "People who have been knocked down by life and get back up on their feet. Who learned from the mistakes that they made and grow into better more complete human beings. So, maybe the greatest love stories aren't the ones that end in tragedies. Maybe, they're the ones that start with a second chance."
Relationships: Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han
Series: Meet Cutes [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1927492
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24
Collections: 9-1-1 Tales





	1. Chapter 1

Chimney looks up when the curtains open, unable to wipe the frown from his face as he runs one hand through his daughter’s hair, trying to hold back tears of his own. He had taken his eyes off of her for a second, not noticing she had been trying to climb across the monkey bars on her own until her screams had pulled his attention away from his phone. The guilt is unlike anything he’s ever felt before, especially because he can’t even remember what he was even looking at on his phone that was so much more important than watching his two-year-old daughter playing in the park.

He feels sick but he gulps it down as he forces a smile at his daughter, knowing that it doesn’t matter what he’s feeling right then, all that matters is her. She clutches her obviously broken arm to her chest as gently as she can, tears pouring down from brown eyes as she pouts up at him. Chimney only looks away from her when the woman speaks, watching as she steps a little closer to the bed, “Hi, I’m Maddie.”

Maddie. He recognises that name and he knows she works in the ER at this particular hospital but she looks nothing like the image he had conjured up in his mind. Really, he had envisioned a female version of Buck in every single way possible but the woman in front of him is… breathtakingly beautiful. He watches as she brushes a piece of her long hair behind her ear as she bends down a little, a kind smile on her face when she glances up at him and then focuses on the little girl who looks as though she’s going to burst into tears all over again. “I heard we have a little superhero in the hospital who goes by the name Rose, you don’t happen to know where I can find her, do you?”

He can’t help but smile when she giggles for the first time since her accident, her eyes completely on the nurse, “I Rose!” Even he laughs when the woman lets out a dramatic gasp, sitting gently on the edge of the bed.

“You’re Rose?! My friend, Dr Miller, told me that you had been the bravest girl he had seen in a long, long time and I just had to come see for myself.” She reaches out to gently bob the little girl’s nose who grins at her proudly, the tears seemingly forgotten when she reaches out a hand to gently rest a finger against Maddie’s nose in return.

The doctor had already been in to explain that it was a clean break, she’d have a cast to wear for the next six weeks (a reminder of his failure, he thinks to himself) but she was okay. Chimney isn’t too sure if he agrees with that one, he doesn’t know if ‘okay’ is how he would describe his little girl breaking a bone. He’d promised her when he held her in his arms that he would protect her, he can’t stop the self-hatred that continues to bubble up inside of him.

The woman finally turns her attention to him and he doesn’t know how to say out loud that he knows her or rather, that he feels as though he knows her because Buck talks about his sister a lot over the past few months. About how Buck had brought her to LA after she had to kill her abusive husband in self-defence, about how he hadn’t spoken to his sister in three years and she had called him from the hospital in Pennsylvania beginning him for help. That didn’t really seem like a good starter conversation, but still, her eyes are filled with recognition the moment her eyes settle on him or more specifically, the scar in the middle of his forehead. “You’re Chimney.”

He supposes there’s not many people walking around with a scar similar to his and if Buck had spoken to the 118 about her, then he could guarantee the chatterbox would do the same thing at home about them. All he can do is nod his head as he nervously bites down on his lip, he had known that as a Buckley there was a chance she would be gorgeous but he can’t stop staring at her kind eyes and that beautiful smile. Chimney supposes he’s always been one to fall hard and quick but this is like nothing he’s ever experienced before and it makes him feel even worse because the only reason he’s there is because he took his eyes off his daughter. “No, he daddy.”

Rose is quick to chime in, a proud grin on her face when the nurse laughs and nods her head, “You’re right and you love your daddy very much, right?” He watches as the toddler nods her head, big eyes looking up at him this time before she reaches out her hand to press against his cheek as though somehow, despite being such a young age, she can sense his sadness. “Accidents happen,” Her words are soft, slowly spoken, “but she’s going to be okay.”

The guilt must be obviously written all over his face, he’s seen enough parents in the exact same predicament as he had been and knows that look. Maddie must have seen it a thousand times over her career, too. Her voice changes to excitement the moment she turns her attention back to Rose, “I’ve also come in here to ask you what colour cast you would like to choose Miss Rose?”

He already knows the answer before the little girl can speak, an amazement in her tone when she looks from Maddie to her dad and then back at the nurse, “’Ello’?”

The woman beams, looking at the little girls bright yellow dress and the matching headband in her black hair before she nods her head. “Absolutely, and you know, I’m really good at drawing stars, so maybe I can sneak one on there for the little superstar?” Rose eagerly nods her head, watching with wide eyes as Maddie slides off the bed, “We’ll get that all sorted for you and then you and daddy can get out of here. Maybe he’ll even get you some ice cream.” She winks at Chimney who just finds himself grinning at her, knowing that most of it is an act to put the two-year-old at ease as he had done so many times but still… she’s like a bright light in what had been the most terrifying experience of fatherhood so far.

“Pretty.” His daughter whispers as the curtains close behind Maddie, and she tilts her head up to look at him through long eyelashes. His hand brushes through her hair as he nods his head, hiding the blush of his cheeks as he leans down to press a soft kiss to the top of his daughter’s head.

“I’m so proud of you, Ro-Ro.” Her tears are long forgotten but his still pool in his eyes as his bottom lip trembles, glancing down at her arm once again as he shakes his head. “You’re so brave.”

“Like daddy!” A small laugh falls from his lips when he moves his lips against the top of her head once again when he closes his eyes, forcing the tears to finally spill over.

“I love you, Ro-Ro.” He gulps back the apology that so long to falls from his lips because he knows she’s too young to understand how much he blames himself and he needs to push the guilt down far enough, at least until she’s safe in her own bedroom and fast asleep for the night. He smiles when she snuggles into his side as carefully as she can, only pulling back when the curtains re-open and the grinning face of Maddie Buckley can be seen once again.

“Okay, I have found the brightest yellow I possibly could for the most amazing superstar. How does this look?” Chimney pulls back enough to wipe at his eyes, only smiling at Maddie when her eyes meet his, her wide grin dropping enough to give him a small, yet comforting smile that somehow, in a way he can’t understand, alleviates at least some of the hatred he feels towards himself right then. A little.

. 

“As soon as that is set, you can head home little lady.” Maddie reaches out to brush the little girls hair behind her ear as she grins before she turns to Chimney. “You have a very brave daughter.” It’s not hard to miss the way his skin has paled, or the way he keeps glancing from Rose’s face to the cast on her arm. 

Maddie turns to her colleague, who had been explaining all about after-care and everything, “Can you explain to little Miss Rose here all about how she can take a bath with this thing?” She smiles at the doctor, gesturing with her eyes to the man behind her who really does look as though he’s going to throw up, “I’ll take Mr Han to sign the paperwork and maybe find the stash of lollipops I know we’ve hidden somewhere.”

At least Chimney seems to hear her as he slides from the other side of the bed and walks with her, a grimace on his face as he does. “I can’t believe I let this happen.” She bites down on her lip when he finally talks, taking the relevant paperwork from behind the desk before she looks at him. “I-I was meant to be keeping an eye on her and I was looking at my phone and I don’t even remember what I was looking at, it was so stupid but I should have been watching her and if I had then—”

The tears that fall down his face break her heart and she longs to hug him but knows she has to maintain some element of professionalism despite the fact she feels as though she kind of knows him through her brother. “You are clearly a wonderful dad, Chimney. The way that little girl looks at you—she absolutely adores you and she doesn’t blame you for a single second. She probably won’t even remember this ever happened, this isn’t a defining moment in her life. You can’t hate yourself for being a human being, we all look away when maybe we shouldn’t.”

She takes a breath and a step towards him, “When I was fifteen, Buck was eight and I wanted to hang with my friends but I had to look after him for the night. So, I, being the clever teenager I was, decided to take him to a house party with me. I took my eyes off him and the next thing I know he’s fallen into the swimming pool and I’m jumping in after him. He could have—it could have been a lot worse and I know on some level that self-hatred you’re feeling right now. But Buck barely remembers it and even when it happened, I was the one having nightmares about it and he just thought he had taken a little fall into the pool.”

Chimney smiles, despite the tears, “I-I just, I promised her mom that I would take good care of her and I just feel as though I’ve let them both down. And I know she’s going to get injured, I know that I can’t wrap her in bubble wrap and protect her from everything in the world but I wish—I really wish I could because hearing her cry in pain like that was… she’s only two, she shouldn’t know pain.” The desperation in his voice is what forces her to finally close the gap between them so she can wrap her arms tightly around him, suddenly not caring what her colleagues think as she does. She likes the way he fits against her, having been towed over by her husband for years.

“She’s going to be okay and so will you.” She doesn’t want to pull back but she does, taking a second to adjust the collar of his shirt as she scrunches up her nose and grins at him. “You really are an amazing dad, Chimney, don’t ever doubt that. The fact that you’re standing there beating yourself up for this—don’t ever think for a second you’ve let anyone down. All I’ve seen is a very healthy, happy girl tonight who is going to be wearing a very bright yellow cast for the next six weeks and is probably going to wear it with pride.”

He laughs, nodding his head, “It’ll be taken off just in time for her third birthday.”

“See? Pulling on your positive pants already, I’m impressed. Now, I need your autograph right here.” Maddie hands him a pen and points towards the paperwork, reaching over the desk to grab a few of the lollipops they keep behind there, handing one to him the moment he puts the pen down. “You look like you could do with some sugar. Now, lets get you two out of here.”

“You’re amazing with her, you know? She’s not going to stop talking about you.”

Maddie can feel her face flushing at the compliment, nodding her head a little, “I’ve been putting off meeting all of you guys because I’ve been trying to settle down in LA but… it’s lonely. I mean I have Buck and I have my friend Josh, who works here, too but—Buck keeps inviting me to the station or the parties you guys have and I just… I-I know he told you about the circumstances how I ended up coming here and that I didn’t talk to him for a long time… I guess I was just scared that you would look at me with pity.”

“Well, uh, how about we ease you into it? Why don’t you, if you want to, come hang with me and Rose on the weekend? Somewhere safe, where she can’t get injured, maybe an aquarium, she’s really into fish at the moment.” Maddie finds herself nodding her head with a grin that’s probably all too eager for a woman who’s just met him in a hospital because his daughter broke her arm, “And Maddie?”

“Yeah?”

“I hate what happened to you but I’ve never pitied you, even without ever meeting you. Really, all I and anyone at the 118 have ever felt is complete admiration. You’re amazing and thank you for making tonight a little easier… I probably would have had a full breakdown if it hadn’t been for you.”

Maddie can feel herself blushing even more as she shakes her head, “You’re welcome. I’ll uh, grab your number from Buck if that’s okay? You should get her home and I’ll text you so you have mine.”

“Great.”

She grins at him, nodding her head before she pulls open the curtains, “Okay, little Miss Rose, I found two lollipops just for you _and_ a marker so I can sign that cast of yours, what do you say?”


	2. Chapter 2

Maddie can’t remember the last time she had so much fun. She had been in LA for months, settling into her new life as a single woman, getting to know her brother again and living on her own for the first time in her entire adult life. She’d settled into her job in a new hospital, she had friends and a life that she had once never thought possible. She just hadn’t felt ready to meet a group of people who knew more information than she usually divulged with the people currently in her life, aside from her brother.

But somehow, as she walked around the aquarium, listening to the way the two year old (almost three, as she kept getting reminded by the little girl) gasped and giggled over the various fish, she can’t help but feel as though she wished she had opened up her heart to the 118 sooner. Or at least, these particular two people in the 118. It’s easy to reason with herself that she hadn’t been ready, she hasn’t been mentally in as good a place as she was now after months of therapy and taking the time she needed to truly enjoy life again.

Life is pretty enjoyable right then, her eyes lighting up with Rose runs to the glass and presses her face up against it, “Fishies!” Both her and Chimney laugh, although it’s only around the hundredth time she’s exclaimed the words and the excitement on her face and in her voice is no less than it had been the first time.

It’s not just that that brings a warm feeling to her chest though, it’s the way that every single time she says it and runs over to the particular fish she was looking at, her dad walks over to her and patiently explains about what kind of fish it is and whatever information she knows he’s reading off the board but Rose looks at him as though her dad is the most intelligent person in the world. Her eyes linger on the man as he kneels down next to her and points at the brightly coloured animal, an excitement in his own voice that matches the little girls and a grin on his face.

Her heart is thumping rapidly against her chest, her cheeks flush as she bites down on her lip in the realisation that she is falling hard and fast for the man who had been a stranger just five days before. They hadn’t stopped texting since she had grabbed his number from Buck the day after he had left the hospital with his daughter. And texting had quickly turned into late night phone calls where they had talked about everything and anything and as every single second passed, she had been looking forward to seeing him again.

The connection was immediate, she couldn’t deny it to herself and if she wasn’t sure that she was ready to move on and start making changes in the romantic part of her new life, she definitely was now. It’s just _easy_ , that’s the only word she can think of when she’s around him. She’s not even known him a week yet and she already feels as though she knows him. It’s crazy, it’s completely crazy but she feels herself being pulled towards him and his amazing little girl in a way she can’t even explain to herself. She wants more and it feels awfully selfish to even think of it for a second because he’s a single dad, he might not have any more to give.

She moves to stand next to the two of them, grinning down at Rose when the girl looks up at her with the biggest and brightest smile she’s ever seen. “You two have an adorable daughter.” The sound of another person pulls her from her thoughts and she finds her cheeks reddening before Chimney just thanks the woman and then shrugs his shoulders at Maddie when she looks at him.

It wasn’t the first time they had heard it that day and she supposes she can’t blame people for assuming whilst the two of them walked around with a little girl who seemed completely comfortable to cling to either of them at any given moment. It’s not until the stranger walks away that the two adults turn to each other, “Sorry, I just—it’s easier to thank them than to try and explain our life stories again, right?”

She supposes that’s true, nodding her head as she laughs, her hand falling to Rose’s dark hair that’s pulled up in two bunches, feeling her heart flutter when the big brown eyes of the gorgeous girl looks up at her. She is the image of her dad, her eyes, his nose, his smile. There’s no questioning who her father is just looking at her and she has fallen in love with the tiny family so suddenly, without warning. Buck had warned her that she would when she had asked for Chimney’s number in the first place and all she had done was laugh and roll her eyes.

Note to self, she thinks, do _not_ admit to her brother that he was right about something or she will never hear the end of it.

Maddie doesn’t say anything when Chimneys hand rests on her lower back when they walk away, Rose running off in front of them to look at something else that had caught her eye. “I’m sorry, this probably isn’t what you imagined for a first date, maybe you’ll give me a chance to make it up to you?”

“Oh, was this a first date?” She can’t help but tease him, watching the blush appear on his cheeks and the way his hand drops from her back when the confidence he had exhumed the second before disappears. It’s easy to recover though when she moves her hand into his and grins, “There’s nothing to make up for, this is amazing. Thank you for inviting me.” She hopes that she appears a lot more confident than she feels right then, somehow feeling as though she’s a teenager once more when she feels the way his hand is clammy and trembling slightly against her own.

“She’s the biggest, most important part of my life and I haven’t dated anyone since before she was born. I uh, wasn’t _with_ her mother when she died.” He quickly explains and she knows he doesn’t want to linger on it, so she doesn’t question it, saving it for a later point in the back of her mind, “But I uh, this doesn’t have to be a date if you don’t want it to be, I think I might have assumed and I don’t want you to think I’m pushing you into something you’re not ready for, Maddie because this is a lot. I’m a lot—I mean, Rose and I are a package deal and you don’t have to—”

“I thought it was a date, too.” She admits, she hadn’t when he had first suggested it in the hospital because there was no reason to think it was anything more than a friend of her brother’s reaching out to her and offering some help. But after days of talking and texting and thinking about him, she had just assumed as well. “It’s not a lot, I think it’s just right.” She grins at him when she tilts her head up, his lowering when they both pause in their walking. Their lips are about to touch and she holds her breath, her eyes closing as she waits for his lips to make contact with hers, until—

“Daddy, Maddie! Come look!”

Their heads snap back, towards the little girl who is jumping up and down in front a big photograph of a shark, “I uh, later?” Chimney drops her hand from his as he scratches the back of his neck, disappointment on his face as his cheeks flush.

“I’ll hold you to that.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maddie and Chimney meet up for a breakfast date to discuss whether they have a future.

Chimney finds himself grinning immediately when he sees Maddie walking over to him. It had been a few days since their first date and Rose hadn’t stopped talking about it and really, he couldn’t stop thinking about it… or rather, her. “Hey, sorry I’m late, we had a vomiting incident.” He’s all too quick to shake his head, pushing the coffee he had bought for her towards her when she’s sitting down.

Rose was spending the day with her Aunt’s Hen and Karen, and Maddie had been on an overnight shift but had insisted it was absolutely fine to meet him at the diner nearest to the hospital when it was over. He has to admit that he’s surprised she’s still as bright eyed and cheery as she always is, he hands clasping over the hot cup of coffee in delight before she brings it to her lips. “You don’t have to apologise,” He finally says, always in awe at how shy she can make him feel whilst simultaneously not feeling awkward at all. “I uh—ordered you some toast and a muffin, too, I hope that’s okay? I know what it’s like on an overnight shift and you don’t get time to breathe sometimes, let alone eat anything.”

Maddie’s face lights up, hand over her heart and he swears he can see tears glistening before she grins at him, “You’re so sweet.” He can’t help but hate the fact that he gets the feeling she hasn’t really experienced much of the things he would only consider to be slightly insignificant, something so simple as making sure she eats breakfast at ten in the morning. Still, he finds himself smiling at her when the plate is brought over, thanking the waitress.

“I can get you something else if you’d like? You’re probably starving, I just wasn’t too sure how you liked your eggs and—”

“No, no. This is perfect, honestly, I think we had pizza at around three in the morning so, this is great.” Chimney feels the tension caused by a sudden rush of uncertainty ease, as he pulls his own coffee cup a little closer to him, “Aren’t you having anything?”

“Oh, when I dropped Rosie off at her Aunt’s, they had pancakes.” Maddie shoots him another smile and he can’t quite believe how it makes his heart flutter in a way he’s not sure he’s experienced before. He had been known to fall hard and fast, it’s why his friends never questioned it when it happened again but this was different. She was different. He hadn’t dated since before Rose was born and if he was honest with himself, he hadn’t really considered it being something he would want to do. Bringing a woman into his daughter’s life seemed more terrifying than the actual reality when he had watched Maddie with her. “I uh—Buck spoke to me.”

Maddie’s eyes widen at that, and he can see her grip on the butter knife she had been holding falter ever so slightly before he quickly shakes his head, “Nothing bad, I promise. He was just doing the brother thing, you know? Wanted to know what my intentions were and—” Chimney can feel his cheeks flushing red, letting out a laugh, “your brother has been an amazing friend to me and Rosie just adores him. He just wanted to check that this is right before it goes too far, I guess. He’s protective over you, for all the right reasons and I know you don’t need him protecting you because you’re you and—”

“It’s okay, I get it.” She cuts him off from his rambling and he feels grateful, taking a deep breath as he shakes his head. “I know we’ve only known each other not even two weeks yet, and we’ve only _seen_ each other in person twice and you have a daughter and you absolutely should always put her first, so if you don’t want this to go anywhere, I’d still like to be your friend.”

Her eyes give her away, along with the slight trembling of her hand as she switches her focus to buttering her toast instead, biting down on her lip as she does, giving him the sense she’s trying to avoid looking at him. “That’s not what I was trying to say, I’ve had a hard time even thinking about letting anyone into my life… romantically and it’s been me and Rosie on our own since she was born.” He wonders if Buck told her the story of Rose’s mother and is certain by the tension in her shoulders that he has. How she and Chimney had briefly dated for about two months and well, accidents happen. And then how seven and a half months later, he was getting a call from her best friend to say she had been in a car accident and given birth to a daughter he hadn’t even known existed up until that point. And just like that, he had gone from Chimney, single paramedic just living his life to single dad to a tiny baby who he had fallen in love with the moment she clasped her tiny hand around his finger. “But I do want that with you which sounds crazy because we haven’t known each other long and I don’t want you to think I’m pushing you into something you’re not ready for. But I just wanted you to know that… I’m ready, whenever you are. I’m ready for that with you… Rosie and I are because it’s always going to be me _and_ her, you know?”

He takes a breath the second he lets out everything he wanted to say, feeling pretty proud of himself for not stumbling over his words too much. “You never pushed.” Chimney is careful to watch her before she reaches out a hand, settling on top of his as she grins, “I’m ready, too. Seems like a pretty good package deal to me.” There’s a smirk on her face when she pulls back, and for a second, she reminds him so much of Buck as her eyes light up mischievously and she shrugs her shoulders, “I mean… Rosie is obviously my favourite but I guess you’re okay, too.”

“Oh, just okay? Guess I’ll have this muffin then.”

He’s grinning as he reaches for it, taking a large bite as she giggles and reaches over the table for it back, “No, no. I’m sorry, you’re a little bit more than okay and that looked so good.” Chimney grins as he chews, handing it back to her with a waggle of his eyebrows and a swell of pride in his chest when she lets out a loud laugh. He can’t actually remember the last time a woman actually laughed _with_ him and not at him or out of sympathy for him.

He can’t take his eyes off her as she tears a bit of the food off for herself and then takes another piece, reaching over the table to pop it in his mouth with a smile. Chimney takes it with ease, his cheeks physically hurting from how wide his smile is. Every ounce of nerves he had felt before arriving at the diner is gone, watching her as she bites into a piece of toast, her other hand reaching out for his across the table which he is more than happy to take, content in just watching her for a moment as she eats.

He’s definitely never had a better breakfast date.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a few weeks since their discussion, and Chimney phones Maddie to cancel their date that night when he and Rose aren't feeling too good.

Even before she had hung up the phone, Maddie knew exactly where she needed to be. They had been dating, taking it slow for a few weeks, as they were getting to know each other. And most importantly, Rose was getting used to the idea of sharing her daddy when she’d never had to do that before. Maddie had expected it to be a lot more difficult to insert herself into their tiny family but both Han’s had welcomed her with an open hearts.

She takes a deep breath before she knocks on the door, biting down on her lip as she waits. If he’s as sick as he sounded on the phone, she knows it might take a while, and she feels guilty for getting him up out of bed or from the couch in the first place but… there was a means to an end. It takes a few minutes before the door swings open and he’s there, face pale and eyes red as a hand presses to his stomach. “Maddie, you shouldn’t be here. You’ll get sick, too.”

Maddie can’t quite believe that she’s standing in front of a man who can barely stand on his own two feet, looking as rough as he does right then and all he cares about is her. It brings a smile to her face, shrugging her shoulders, “I’m a nurse, I’m exposed to a lot more than this every day, trust me, I’ll be fine.” It’s enough, at least, to get him to relent his grip on the door, enough for her to step inside his apartment to press a kiss to his cheek.

“I’ll just set these bags down and then we’ll get you back to bed, okay? Is Rosie asleep?” He nods his head, and she can’t imagine how difficult it must be to not only contend with his own sickness but with a two-year-old’s, too. “Well, Nurse Maddie is here now and I am here to see to your every need and Rosie’s, so you can actually rest.” Once the bags are settled on the counter, she moves to press the back of her hand to his forehead, pouting when she feels the way he’s burning against her touch. “Right, back to bed for you, you definitely shouldn’t be standing up.”

She feels relief when he doesn’t protest, his body slumping as she wraps an arm around his waist and leads him back towards his bedroom. It’s only through experience running around an ER that she doesn’t feel overwhelmed at the prospect of dividing her attention between the two. The fact she cares about them both is what causes her chest to ache, wishing she could just take it all away. It’s just a bug though, it’s going to be awful for around the next twenty-four hours or so, and then it’ll be a long forgotten memory before they know it.

The second his head hits the pillow, she pulls the blanket over him, hand brushing over his forehead and up through his hair. “You close your eyes, okay? I’ll go check on the little superstar and then I’ll be right back.” She only hopes that the little girl was in a better state than her dad, who looks as though he’s going to vomit at any given second, just slipping the waste basket in the corner of his room closer to his bed before she makes her way across the hall.

It’s even more of a relief when she hears the soft breathing of the little girl as she lies on her side, three of her cuddly toys wrapped up in her still cast covered arm. Maddie bites down on her lip and tries not to let the tears fall when she notices one of them is the stuffed penguin she had bought her a few weeks before. Her movements are slow, stepping softly as she moves closer to the bed, fingers gently brushing long, dark hair from her clammy face. It’s strange not seeing that bright smile or feeling the excitable pull on her hands as the little girl talks mostly gibberish at around a hundred words a second.

Maddie stands up straight, taking one last glance at the sleeping toddler before she makes her way back out of the room and towards the kitchen. The second she had hung up the phone on Chimney after he had told her she didn’t need to come over, the sickness would pass, she had popped to the store and gotten everything she knew they would need whilst the bug passed. Bottles of water, Gatorade, bananas, bread and all the ingredients she’d need for her nana’s chicken soup recipe that had been passed down to her.

It’s with a bottle of water and some paracetamol that she makes her way to Chimney’s room, frowning when, instead of sleeping as she had expected (hoped), he’s sitting up in his bed with the waste basket she had moved thankfully close enough for him to grab, on his lap. “Okay, okay. I’m right here.”

“No, I’m gross.” She’d laugh if his voice wasn’t so entirely broken, and she’s entirely certain if she could actually see his face, she’d see tears falling from his eyes. She slides onto his bed next to him, rubbing his back with one hand. “Don’t look.” It’s with a groan that he finally pulls the faux sick bucket away from him with a disgusted look on his face, traces of vomit remaining around his lips and the bits of stubble that had started to grow already in the last two days since she had seen him.

“It’s vomit, Chimney. I’ve had a lot worse on me, trust me.” She knows it’s different, that they’re dating and he wants her to see him in a certain way but he’s also human and with that comes the completely unsexy sickness sometimes. The movement of her hand on his back slows as she takes the previously clean waste basket from him, leaning over the edge of the bed to place it on the bedside table before she turns back to him. “It’s okay.” She pulls down on her long sleeves to cover her hand, gently wiping at the vomit around his mouth with the fabric before she presses her lips to his burning forehead and carefully pushes him back down onto the bed.

“Mmm, definitely not the way I imagined you in my bed for the first time.” He mumbles, his voice tired and then his cheeks flushing with embarrassment, “Said that out loud, didn’t I?”

Despite how much she hates seeing him look so vulnerable, she still can’t stop herself from laughing, fingernails grazing along his scalp as she moves her other hand down towards his stomach, where his hand lays. “Is your stomach hurting?”

“A-a little.” Maddie bites down on her lip, carefully peeling his own hand away from his stomach, so she can slip hers beneath his top. “What are you–?”

All she can do is snuggle a little closer to him, lips pressing to his cheek as she does until her hand starts to rub circles on his stomach. It takes him just a second for him to relax into her touch, and she smiles when she hears a sigh of content. “Is this okay?” Maddie whispers, knowing that their relationship is still new, they haven’t really done anything beyond kissing and cuddling on the couch after his daughter goes to bed and whilst boundaries haven’t been discussed, she knows they still exist, they’re still… learning.

Chimney seems embarrassed by the sudden nod of his head and it only forces her to press several more kisses to his face, hand not faltering as she continues in her movement. “Maddie?” A little voice pulls her attention, surprised at the speed at which Chimney had managed to fall asleep, but still hesitant to stop rubbing circles in case it stirs him.

“Hey, superstar. Come jump up.” The man shifts a little in her arms, his head now resting on her shoulder as she wraps an arm around him instead, making a mental note that belly rubs did absolutely work with him. It takes her by surprise when the toddler crawls onto her lap, instead of next to her on the bed, thumb in her mouth and her stuffed toys held tightly in the crook of her other arm. When her head rests on her chest, Maddie wraps an arm around her and tilts her head down to press her lips to the top of her head.

“Don’t feel good.”

“I know, sweet girl, going to cuddle both you and daddy all better.”

The way the two Han’s snuggle further into her is perfectly in sync, bringing a smile to her face as she looks between the two, one hand rubbing circles on Rose’s back and the other gently rubbing up and down Chimney’s arm before the soft breathing of the two can be heard. Rest is what they need the most, the best way to heal their struggling bodies, and she hopes they can _both_ get enough as she’s there to look after them.


End file.
